Concealed nasal inhaler.



A. R. GIBSON. l CONCEALED NASA!` INHALER. APPLICATION FILED-FEB. 28, i916'.

l lll Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

ADELBEBI'1-R. GIBSON, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CONCEALED NASAL INHALER.

specification of Letters'ratent.

Application 1ed February 28, 1916. Serial No. 80,97.

' To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, ADELBERT R. GIBSON, ay citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new anYd useful Concealed Nasal Inhaler, of which the following is a specification'.

The present invention relates to an improvement inpthat type of inhalers adapted to be fitted in the nostrils of the nose, and to be held there by engagement with the nose,

the invention having among its objects to provide a simple, neat and attractive device embodying simplicity in its construction,

and which when in position is practically entirely concealed, so that it cannot readily i be detected; which is of peculiar form-to lit in the nostrils, and to be completely inserted therein, but not suiciently to irritate or injure the nose, and to thus obtain the highest efficiency of the device, which cannot accidentally fall or work down; and which is provided with opposed projections yieldingly r inding therebetween the opposite sides of the cartilage septum of the nose to hold the by its own inherent resiliency, so that it place by the hand, or other external means, and sol hat it may be used or'worn continuously through a day, a night, or for any other length of time desired.

c sprin Another object of this invention is to provide a device made from a single length of wire, so peculiarly provide opposed tapering containers for titting in the opposite nostrils of the nose; to provide a bridge piece of substantially the form of a three-quarter ring, spring over the lower edge of the cartilage septum and engage at., its ends against the opposite sides` thereof and hold the ring firmly and detachably in place; to provide connectors on the ends of the ring peculiarly joining the containers to the bridge piece to admit the automatic and independent adjustmentof the containers in the nostrils, and to offset the containers downwardly and prevent irritation and injury to the nose; and to provide a retaining ledge or support at the base end of each container to hold an absorbent, such as cotton, or the like, in the containers.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an attachable concealed nasal inhalerl lall of the above features ofl ad.

does not have to be held in' larged. Fig. 3 is bent and rounded as to adapted to upwardly construction;` maybe economically manufactured, and handled; may be easily packed to advantage for shipment or display; may be easily and quickly inserted in, and withdrawn from the nose; which is held in the Patented oct. 3, i916.

nose by the bridge piece alone and does not v depend upon the frictional engagement of the containers in the nostrils to hold the inhaler in place; and which may be worn in the nose `for any desired length of time,

without adjustment or attention, except to replenish the medicament used, which gradually evaporates and is drawn into the nasal passages and throat bythe natural respiration through the nose.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be brought out in the following specic .description of the present preferred embodiment of the invention, which is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inhaler, embodying the features of this invention, as applied tothe nose, the figure showing clearly in full lines the lower portion of the bridge, which is the only part of the in- `haler visible when applied. Fig. 2 is a front elevational ,view of the inhaler, en-

a longitudinal section, showing in dotted linesthe outlines of thev nose. Fig. 4.- is a detail bottom planv view y of one of the containers and the adjacent side of the bridgel piece.

-Referring to this' drawing, wherein like parts are designated by similar numerals of reference throughoutthe several views, the inh'aler of the present inventiQn comprises a'bridge piece 10, inturned opposed-projections 11 on the bridge piece adapted to bind against the cartilage septum, indicated in Fig. 3 in dotted lines at 12, opposed spring connectors 13 and 14, and a pair of opposed tapering containers 15 and 16. The containers are each provided with a filler 17 of an absorbent material, such as cotton, held in place by an annular led e 18, at the bottom of each container, an `also having a substantially central longitudinal airv passage 19 therethrough, through which `air is adapted to be drawn upwardly in con- `tact with the Eller for evaporating and carrying oli' the medicament with which the filler is saturated.-

All of these parts areipeculiarly formed and assembled by bending and rolling a singlel lengthof wire the peculiar manner 10 11. which bind therebetween the cartilage tmued from the lower end of the supporti according to this invention. Referring parthe ledge 18. The length of wire is carried ticularly to Fig. 3, it will be' observed that from the inner side of the ledge 18 upthis single length of wire is bent into subwardly at an `abrupt angle, vand bears stantially -shape, and has its intermediate against the outer faces of the lowermost 5 portion rounded to provide the bridge piece helices at the ,inner side of the container 15,

- in the form of a three-quarter rlng to provide the brace arm 21. The upper adapted tostraddle or project over the lower end of thel brace arm is then returned downedge of the cartilage septum 12, the free wardly and inwardly, to form the supportends of the ring 10 forming the projections ing arm 20. The length of wire is vcon- 75 septum, so as to yieldingly and detachably ing arm 20 downwardly and rounded to hold the length of'wire in place. From the provide the bridge piece or ring 10. In projections 11, each end or strand of the further following the single length of wire, wire is bent outwardly at a slight angle to` the opposite side of the bridge piece 10 provide a pairof diverging supporting arms merges. into the opposite supporting arm 80 20, which merge into the ends of the bridge 20, the adjacent downwardly extending or ring 10 and which provide therewith Y, brace arm 21, the reduced helix or ledge rounded engaging. or bearing faces for the 18 of the opposite container 18, and is then l projections 11, so as not to injure or irrltate wound upwardly, the coils of which coni, 2o the nose. The strands of wire are returned` secutively decrease in diameter toform the 85 outwardly of the arms and Hare away opposite container 16. rI he length'of wire therefrom to provide braces 21, and which, -terminates at its opposite end at 23, at the together with the supporting arms 20, protop of the container 16. 4 vide substantially V-shaped spring connec- By thev provision` of the V-shaped contors at the opposlte sides of the bridge 10. nectors 13 and 14, the containers 15 and 16 90 From the outer or lower ends of the are offset downwardly upon the bridge 10, braces 2l, the strands of the length of wire so' that the upper reduced ends of the con- 'are wound spirally upward, are offset outtainers do not come in contact with the wardly lfrom the spring connectors 13 and walls of thej nostrils, and thus are held '14, and provide coils consecutively decreasdownwardly at a distance suiiicient to pre- 95 ing in diameter from bottom to top; to thus vent 1njury or irritation of the nose, and provide a pair of opposed upwardly taperat the same time the containers. are held ing containers which are supported upon so that they are not visible when applied. j and are integral with the spring connectors The bridge 10, which engages upwardly i 13 and 14. The braces 21, or outer sides about the lower edge of the cartilage'sep- 100 of the sprin-g connectors 13 and 14, lie close tum, is the only portion of the inhaler vagainst the convolutions or coils of the wire which may possibly be observed. When the at the enlarged or base portions of the condevice is worn ,during the day, the nose, tainers 15 and 16, and extend longitudiprojecting outwardly and over the bridge 1Q,

nally thereof to brace and support the conh ldes the latter substantially entirely from 105y tainers. 'As the connectors 13 and 14 are view, so that itmay only be detected upon i of substantially V-shape, the angle thereof close inspection. The device is small and y admits of a substantial exlng of the conlight in weight, and thus requires but a nectors with relatively light pressure, so relatively slight pressure of the projections that the containers 15 and 16 are free, to 11 v1n the nose, and consequently the pres- 11o a large extent, lto adapt themselves autoence or application of the device is scarcely matically to conditions of the nostrils and felt.

- to the thickness of the cartilage septum. In the Ause of this improved inhaler, the The lower'enlarged ends of the containers filler or absorbent material 17 is saturated 15 and 16, comprisingthe base ends of the with the desired medicament. The device 115 containers, are puovidedwith the annular 1s then pressed into the nosewith the -reledgesy 18,l whichv are formed by reducing duced ends of the containers 15 and 16 in the lowermost coil or helix of each conregistry with the nostrils. As the bridge tainerin diameter, so that the coil or helix vpiece t10 is .forced upwardly, the outwardl lies within the conical planes of the conflarmg' or inclined'supporting arms 2O actl 120 tainers, and thus provldes an inwardly exas cam faces to spread the bridge piece 10, tending ledge 18 in the bottoms of the conand guide the same into position lover the 'tainers to support the filler 17. lower edge of the cartilage septum. The

In following the single `length of wire, provision of these V-shaped connectors olione end 22 thereof lies at the top of the sets the containers -15 and 16 outwardly 125L container 15, and is wound spirally downfrom the bridge piece 10, and thus centers. ward, the coils being consecutively enlarged the containers in the nostrils. It lis thus in diameter until the container 15v is seen that the containers are held substanreached, when the last. helix or coil Vis tially out of contact withthe walls of the curved yon ar reducedl diameter to .provide nostrils, but should they bind against the 130 nostrils, the flexibility of the spring connectors admits of the automatic adjustment of the containers to the various conditionsl of the nostrils. The inherent spring action of the ring 10, binding about the cartilage length of wire wound spirally downwardwith its coils consecutively increasing 1n diameter to provide an upwardly tapering container and having its lowermost coil of a reduced diameter to provide a retaining ledge in the bottom of the container, said length of wire being bent abruptly upward against the outer face and at the inner side of said container, the wire being then returned in flaring relation to provide a substantially inverted V-shaped connector at the inner side of the container, said wire being bent to provide a ring shaped bridge piece at the lower end'of said connector, and bent outwardly and upwardly from the end -of the bridge piece and returned thereon to provide a second opposed connectonof substantially inverted V-shape, then spirally wound upward, the coils being consecutively reduced in diameter to provide a second opposed upwardly tapering container, the wire having its opposite ends at the tops of the opposite containers, the lowermost coil of said second container besaid wire being ing of reduced diameter to provide a ledge inthe bottom thereof, and llers of absorbent material fitting in said containers and resting on said ledges.

2. A nasal inhaler comprising a single length of wire looped at its middle portion to provide a resilient ring for engagement over the lower edge of the cartilage septum and for contact at its ends against the opposite sides thereof whereby to yieldingly hold the wire in place, each strand of the wire being bent outwardly from the ends of the ring and extending a short distance to provide diverging supporting arms, the strands being returned outwardly of the arms and flaring away therefrom to provide braces and constituting with the supporting arms substantially V-shaped spring connectors, the opposite ends of the wire being wound spirally upward outwardly of the connec-v tors into coils consecutively decreasing in diameter to provide a pair of spaced apart upwardly tapering containers, said containers being adapted to fit in the nostrils and said braces extending longitudinally against the inner opposite sides of the containers to hold the same away from the cartilage septum,vthe lowermost coil of each container emerging from the adjacent spring connectorv and being of reduced diameter relatively to the lower container whereby to provide a ledge in the lower end of each container adapted to support absorbent material therein.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aii'lXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ADELBERT R. GIBSON.

Witnesses:

0. C. BowERs,

MARY F. LINCOLN.

base end of the adjacent 

